Unforgettable Memories
by Satsuki Bun
Summary: *Old* Days after saving the meteor ... TifaxCloud, YuffiexVincent, CidxShera, etc.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft. :)

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review!! I don't mean to offend any fans._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 1**

It's 2 days after Cloud and his friends have stopped the Meteor from hitting the planet and defeating Sephiroth. Cloud and the others - Tifa, Barret, Cid, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Vincent and Yuffie - had just walked out of Gold Saucer to celebrate their victory.

"Oh, it's boooooring already!" Yuffie, at the age of 16, yawned.

"Eh shuttup!" Cid, the pilot, growled. "At least we stopped that fking meteor and that fking Sephiroth from KILLING US!!"

"Geez! I was just--"

"So Cloud, what are you gonna do now?" Barret asked, annoyed by the argument.

Cloud sighed. "I dunno ... I ... I might go to ... uhh ... go to--"

"What are you two talking about?" Tifa interrupted, walking towards them.

"Oh nothin' much. Just askin' what Cloud's gonna do now, since, ya know, we just defeated that bstard and saved the world. Ya know?"

Tifa smiled. "Right," and turned to Cloud. "Um ... Cloud? If you got nowhere to go, you could always come to my bar ... sleep a few days until ... you know ... you find somewhere to ... stay?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think so ..." (Tifa looked hurt) "I'll find a place. Perhaps I'll stay at Costa Del Sol."

"Ok," Tifa muttered. Cloud, as everyone knows, was still sad about what happened to Aeris. _I am too_, thought Tifa, _but he gotta go on with his life! He can't just ... be upset about Aeris for the whole rest of his life! He'll ... he'll never get to marry me then!_ Immediately, Tifa thought that it was really mean of her to think that and wanted to slap herself. So she took that back and thought instead, _well, he won't be going anywhere in his life if he just--_

"Hello?! Earth to TIFA?!" Yuffie interrupted her thoughts. "Are you ok?"

Tifa blinked. Everyone was looking at her. "Er ... yea."

"We were just asking where ya gonna go? Are ya gonna go back to 7th heaven? Or what?" Cid said scratching his head.

"I'll go to 7th Heaven. I mean ... I don't think there's gonna be any other things to do after this ...?"

Red XIII spoke up. "I want to go back to Cosmo Canyon. I need to see how my people are," Red XIII was still very upset about his grandfather's death.

"Well, I'll just take y'all back to your own home or somthin', unless ya don't have one ..." Cid glanced at Cait Sith. "Do you actually LIVE at Gold Saucer or what?! That place is so damn &#!!"

"Ah, lemme alone," Cait Sith mumbled and turned to Cloud. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. Let's meet each other some other time, ok?"

Cloud nodded. "Sure."

And with that, Cloud and his friends left Gold Saucer and climbed onto Highwind, Cid's plane.

"Oh no! I don't wanna get on there aGAIN! I'm SICK of all those 'wooshing' and 'swooshing'! I'm gonna--" before Yuffie could continue, she threw up right when the plane started flying.

"Aww geez YUFFIE! Go to the stinkin' bathroom already would cha?! Don't get mah plane dirty full of yur stinkin' sht!" Cid yelled at the top of his lungs. As always, Cid is in the mood for cussing.

Tifa, ignoring all these commotion, sat on the floor of the corner of the meeting room. _When should I tell him?_ Tifa thought. _I have to tell him ... someTIME! If I don't, it'll be too late because Cloud might ... find another girl and ... marry her!_ Tifa closed her eyes. _It's obvious Cloud still likes Aeris ... and still misses her. But what can he DO? Go and kill himself so he could BE with her?!_ She opened her eyes and found Red XIII looking worried down at her.

"Are you ok, Tifa? You look ... well, sad."

Tifa forced a smile. "Yup, I'm ok. Don't worry about me."

Red XIII nodded, then asked, "Are you thinking about ... Cloud?"

Everyone in the team knows Tifa has feelings for Cloud. Some of Tifa's close friends worry about her because of this reason. Tifa took a deep breath. "Yes," she said honestly. "I'm thinking ... when I should ... tell him."

Red XIII nodded again, then said the following words clearly, "Tifa," he started, "I think you should tell him today. Before ... you go back to 7th Heaven. Yes, it's true you two have been friends since little kids but ... let's just face it. You two won't see each other as much anymore after this. And you know it!"

Tifa was surprised at what Red XIII had said. She nodded. "I will tell him, Red XIII, today. Thanks."

Red XIII smiled and walked out of the room.

Tifa gulped. _It's not as easy as you think, Red XIII._

After an hour passed, only Barret, Tifa and Cloud were left on the plane. Cid had been dropping Red XIII off at Cosmo Canyon, Yuffie at Wutai (who hugged everyone, even Cid), and Vincent at Nibelheim.

"Well, Cloud, where are you gonna go? You could always come to mah place and I'll get ya a sleepin' bag or somthin' to sleep on," Cid grunted.

"Hey Cloud! You could come to Tifa's place. I mean, I'll be there too in case you don't feel comfortable with only a GIRL in the house," Barret snorted.

Cloud smiled weakly. "... Well, ok. Thanks anyway Cid. I'll go to Tifa's place."

Cid dropped off Cloud, Tifa and Barret at Midgar. "Bye then! See ya sometimes!" Cid called.

Cloud and Barret waved good-bye as Tifa shouted, "Bye!"

The 3 of them walked in silence towards 7th Heaven. Barret walked up the stairs and pushed the doors opened. "Ah, how 'bout a drink Tifa?"

"Sure thing!" Tifa walked behind the counter and started mixing up some soda and alcohol and poured them in a cup. "Here you go, Barret," Tifa turned to Cloud. "Want anything?"

"Nah. I'm gonna go to sleep," he climbed onto the couch and began making a bed.

"CLOUD! WHAT ARE YOU DOIN'?! Duncha dare sleep there! That thing's covered with those #& barf from those !&# people! Come over!" Barret motioned Cloud to go upstairs. "Sleep up THERE."

Cloud yawned. "Does it really matter?!"

"Get your #& up there already!"

Cloud sleepily got on the "elevator" and within a minute, Tifa and Barret could hear a soft snore from above.

Barret sat on the stool and waited for Tifa to speak. But Tifa, pretending he's not there, started cleaning up dishes and cups.

"W-well?" Barret demanded.

"Yesssss?"

Barret, annoyed by Tifa, slammed the counter with his fist. "Aw, damnit! Speak it up already TIFA! Just tell that guy what's inside your heart or wherever you girls keep your little #& secrets!" and Barret started cussing.

Tifa stared at Barret. "It's not easy you know!" She snapped. Then she paused and said more softly, "I'm sorry Barret! It's just that ... you know how I am ..."

"In front of him ... you mean?"

"... Y-yes." Tifa sighed. "Don't worry ... I'll be sure to tell him before he leaves. I promise."

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_Author's Note: Er ... I hope you like it!! I'll be uploading the next chapter soon! It's my first FanFic so please review! I hope this 1st chapter isn't too short._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft. :)

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review!! I don't mean to offend any fans._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 2**

"Cloud? Where are you? CLOUD?!" a girl's voice called out.

Cloud opened his eyes and found himself somewhere full of darkness. "Tifa? TIFA! Is that you?"

"CLOUD!"

Cloud turned his head and saw a blurry, pink figure. "... A-Aeris?!" Cloud gasped. "Is it really ... you?"

"Yes ... Cloud. It's me ..." The figure was blurry, but one could tell that it is Aeris, wearing her usual pink dress.

"Why are you-- how come we're here-- where are WE?" A bunch of questions popped into Cloud's head. "Aeris!" he paused. "You don't know how much I miss you--"

"Cloud, I miss you too ... but ..." Aeris said sadly, "I'm ... dead. I'm only here, because ... I went into your dreams."

"So am I really ... talking to you?" Cloud asked breathlessly.

Aeris smiled. "Yes ... ... but I'm dead. I could only 'talk' to you in dreams."

"Why are you so ... blurry?"

Aeris sighed. "Cloud, quit asking these dumb useless questions!" She almost shouted. "I'm here to tell you something."

Cloud swallowed. "W-what is it? Are you going to--"

"LISTEN TO ME, CLOUD!" Aeris yelled. "I don't have time to answer all of your questions, but I'll try." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Cloud ... I ... I loved you and all ... I know you love me too ... but another part of you also loves Tifa ... am I correct? Since I'm ... dead now, it doesn't do you any good if you kept ... loving me. You know?"

Cloud raised his eyebrows. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Aeris closed her eyes and became quiet. "Cloud ... you can't keep loving me as in ... LOVING me for the rest of your life, you know that, right? ... And ... I know that you're really upset, but I won't become alive again--"

"But--"

"Cloud, listen," Aeris breathed hard. "I ... I know the future. You and Tifa are supposed to ... well ... lame as it sounds, but 'live happily ever after'. Cloud, just admit it! You love Tifa as much as you love me! In fact, supposedly even more! Don't lie to yourself! You even called out Tifa's name first before you even THOUGHT that it was me! I know what you're thinking, Cloud ... you're thinking that you're 'responsible' for me, because you thought it was YOU who made me got into this mess in the beginning, but no, Cloud, that's not true! I got MYSELF into this mess, not YOU! So you don't need to feel 'responsible' for me! Really, Cloud!"

Cloud blinked. When he was about to speak, Aeris started becoming even blurrier. In fact, she was fading away. "Wait Aeris! WAIT! Don't go yet! I need to talk to you!"

"I'm sorry cloud! But my time's up."

"Could I ... could I talk to you again--"

"I don't know, Cloud ... goodbye ... Cloud ... bye ..." Aeris said, fading even more until only a little pink blurry blob showed.

"AERIS!" and with that, Aeris disappeared.

Cloud woke up startled, opening his eyes into total darkness. Sweat dripped down his forehead. Cloud took a deep breath and looked at his watch-- 2:14 AM. _Where am I? _he thought. He looked around and just remembered that he was at Tifa's bar. He could see a big, round darker figure sleeping across the room. Must be Barret, thought Cloud. He laid back down on the bed, thinking about that "dream". _What was Aeris doing in my dream? Yea, I know she was telling me something. But I guess I was too upset and excited when I saw her that I couldn't THINK._ Cloud sighed. Yes, Aeris's right. I DO love Tifa ... more. He closed his eyes. YES, I will tell Tifa ... soon.

"TIFA!" a voice called.

Tifa opened her eyes and found herself in total darkness. "W-who is it?" her voice echoed throughout the darkness.

"It's me ..." the voice said.

Tifa, not knowing what's happening, gasped as she saw a blurry, pink figure. "Aeris!"

"Hello, Tifa."

"A-Aeris! You're ... is it really you?" Tifa asked uncertainly.

The figure nodded. "Yes, it's me, Aeris."

Tifa exclaimed. "Aeris! It's really you!" Tifa's vision started becoming blurry as tears slipped down her cheeks.

Aeris smiled. "Tifa ... I'm only going to be here for a couple of minutes. And you're not seeing ghosts. I just came to your dreams to ... talk to you."

"Is it Cloud?"

"Don't worry Tifa ... he's okay ..."

"What is it then, Aeris? Aeris!" Tifa stared as Aeris started fading.

"I'm sorry, Tifa. But Cloud's ... he'll tell you ... he will ... 'bye Tifa ... bye--" and she disappeared.

Tifa sat up on her bed. _What was that?! _ she thought. She look over at the clock-- 2:21 AM. What will Cloud tell her? Suddenly she gasped. Is Aeris trying to tell her that Cloud would only love Aeris forever and ever?! Is cloud going to tell her that she would never have a chance? That she could never be compared to Aeris because she's too ugly? Tifa cried.

When she finally slept, it was 5:30 AM.

Cloud woke up looking into big brown eyes. "Whoa!" and pushed whoever it was.

"Hey! Watchit! I'm not THAT ugly am I?! Geez!" Barret looked hurt.

"I'm sorry, Barret! I didn't know it was you!"

"Well, yea, well, get up already! Tifa's makin' breakfast. And I'm starvin'! You don't want me to eat all of it, do ya?!" Barret muttered. "It's 10:56!"

"Sure thing, Barret," Cloud got up. His back was hurting from the 'too-soft' bed.

Back downstairs, Barret was sitting across from Tifa at the counter, eating.

"Well, Tifa? Yur gonna tell him today, right? You say so yesterday night!" Barret said, stuffing crispy bacons into his mouth.

Tifa sighed. "I don't know--"

"YOU DUNNO?!" Barret yelled. "Well, ya betta KNOW 'cause if you don't tell him, I'm gonna tell him for YOU!"

"Ohhhh, knock it off, BARRET!"

"But Teeeefaaaa--"

"Morning, Cloud!" Tifa smiled and gave Barret a Look.

"Good morning Tifa," Cloud said. "Wow, bacons! I haven't eaten 'em for years!" Cloud sat on a stool next to Barret, and he thought he heard Barret growl at him. He turned to Barret with raised eyebrows.

"WHAT?" Barret asked, with an edge to it.

Cloud cleared his throat and turned to Tifa as she put some bacons onto his plate. "Uh, Tifa. Um ..."

"Well, may y'all excuse ME, I'll go out for a walk. 'Think I ate too much," Barret got up and walked out of the bar. Before he went out, he winked at Tifa.

Tifa, her heart suddenly beating fast, almost shouted, "_Yes?!_"

"Um ... I have something to tell you ..." Cloud couldn't speak.

"W-what?" Tifa asked, not wanting to hear what he's going to say. _Oh, please not be what I'm thinking, PLEASE!_ thought Tifa.

Cloud sighed. "I just want to say ... to say ... that ..." he paused. He shook his head, "You're really pretty today." Cloud wanted to slap himself right that second. _Darnit Cloud! Why couldn't I tell her!_

Tifa, surprised at what he said, muttered, "Um ... thank you ... Cloud." _Ohhh, c'mon TIFA! This is your chance!_ Tifa thought. _Barret's not here right now so I better say it NOW!_

"Um ... Cloud--"

"Hey Tifa, I'm gonna go out. I'll be back before dinner," Cloud said, suddenly standing up.

"Wait--"

"See ya later!" and Cloud left.

"Sh*t! Geez, Tifa! Why couldn't you saaaaaaay it?!" Tifa muttered grumpily.

Cloud climbed off of his golden chocobo. He stepped into The Forgotten City. He walked down the road and onto the path where it leads to the lake of clear water. The lake that took Aeris away ...

"Aeris!" Cloud called. "If you could hear me, please tell me what I'm supposed to do!" He kneeled onto the ground and sighed. "I know I'm supposed to tell Tifa ... but ... I CAN'T! I ... I can't do it! Please come to my dreams again! Please..." Cloud put his head on his knees. "I miss ... you, Aeris." He paused and thought he heard a noise, but didn't bother to see what it was. "I wasn't able to talk to you ... in my dreams. I need to talk to you ... ask you questions ... what can I DO ...?"

"What you can do, Cloud, is move on with your life. You can't stay on one spot for the rest of your life, you know."

Cloud turned around and found ... Tifa. Her eyes were red from crying. "Tifa ..."

"Cloud, I never knew you depended on people ... so much," Tifa said. "Or rather, on Aeris." She had followed Cloud to The Forgotten City. She had arrived right when Cloud heard the noises. She didn't hear what Cloud had said before ... which means she didn't know that Cloud was going to tell her something ...

"Tifa, I--"

"Cloud, I just want to tell you one thing. And after that, it's all up to you," Tifa took a deep breath. "Cloud ... I love you." And with that, she turned around with tears slipping down her eyes and started towards the exit of the village.

Cloud, tears ready to spill out any moment, called out, "TIFA! WAIT!" and he chased after her. "TIFA! I love you too!"

Tifa turned around, vision blurred by her tears. Tifa ran to him and held him tightly in a tight hug. They kissed.

"Cloud ... I--"

Cloud shushed Tifa and they hugged, intertwined in each other's arms.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well, hope you like this chapter! Phew more to come ... about Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, Shera ... more! And thanks for the reviews. Really appreciate them!_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft. :)

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review!! I don't mean to offend any fans._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 3**

_note: this chapter takes place after Cid had dropped off Yuffie at Wutai, after celebrating at Gold Suacer._

Yuffie climbed down the Highwind grumpily. "Sheesh! Don't say goodbye, huh?!" Yuffie muttered. "Dumb ol' vampire! Sleep all ya want! Just sleep sleep SLEEEEEEEEP!!" Yuffie was in a very bad mood. Then she thought, _Oh well. At least I HUGGED him. Although he seems to be ... dozing off still. And ... maybe he was ... scared of me._

Yuffie jumped over a rock and kicked some pebbles in her way. She looked up at the golden sky. She could see the Highwind flying towards the other side. Towards ... Nibelheim. _How could he possibly LIVE in there? _Yuffie wondered. _It's DIRTY in there ... at least the last time I CHECKED. And there's full of MONSTERS hanging down those creepy giant light thing ... with chains ... _Yuffie shivered as she shook off the picture.

"Home sweet home ..." Yuffie sighed. "I can't BELIEVE it's OVER already. I mean, I was hoping the journey would last longer than THAT. I mean, look at ME! I was SUPPOSED to go steal Materias ... or else Dad wouldn't even let me out of Wutai at ALL. And now ... I couldn't even bring home an 'ALL' MATERIA! Except this one," (takes out STEAL MATERIA), "what good does THIS do?! I mean, I'm already a NINJA. And a NINJA's supposed to know how to STEAL. Argh but then ... if I'm a NINJA and a NINJA's supposed to know how to STEAL ... well, I'm sure am a really BAD ninja..."

Depressingly, Yuffie sat down on a rock. Her home, Wutai, is only half a mile away. "I don't wanna go hooooooome! I mean, no one's gonna WELCOME me ... like they really care. And plus, since I didn't bring home any Materias ... Dad's probably gonna be pissed ..." Yuffie sighed.

Then she started thinking about yesterday night ...

_note: this takes place on the night at Gold Saucer where the group was still celebrating..._

Yuffie was at the WONDERS section of Gold Saucer, having fun with the snowboarding game. "Ha! Betcha I could pass this final ROUND!" Yuffie yelled happily as she passed the second-to-last round of the game. She was playing this for over 3 hours, while the others were somewhere else at Gold Saucer. "Hmm ... I wonder where the others are ..." Yuffie muttered to herself as she moved left and right on the snowboard.

Just then, right when there was only a couple of feet left for Yuffie to finish and pass the FINAL round, someone pokes Yuffie on the shoulder.

"Waaaaait! Don't bother me right now!" and Yuffie slapped the person's hand.

POKE. POKE. The person pokes Yuffie's shoulder again.

Yuffie was only 4 or 5 feet from the FINISH line ... and there's a snowman right in front of her ...

POKE. POKE. POKE. POKE.

"STOPPIT-- WAAAAAH!!" Yuffie, disturbed by the "intruder", had leaned too left and bumped onto the wall ... then she was bounced right off it ... and back onto ... the snowman! BOOM! It took a while for Yuffie to stand up and brush off snow. After half a minute or so passed by, Yuffie stumbled and FINALLY crossed the FINISH line.

The screen popped up the 2 words: GAME OVER! And under it, very tiny red words, says CONGRATULATIONS! "Sheesh! Could have put it BIGGER! It's not like I really SUCK that BAD!" Yuffie shouted grumpily. Then another screen popped out: YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE HALL OF FAME ... 2nd PLACE! CONGRATULATIONS!

Yuffie glared at her points: 97.5/100 (97.5 out of 100) and gasped as she looked up at the 1st place winner with the score 98/100 (98 out of 100). "Nooooo! It's only half a point away! Gosh! If it wasn't because of whoever poked me, I would have won--" just then Yuffie turned around to see who poked her and was face-to-face with red eyes--

Yuffie screamed and stumbled back but tripped on the snowboard. She closed her eyes and shivered, thinking about those red, creepy eyes ...

"Yuffie? You okay?"

She opened her eyes and found herself being in the center of a crowd. "Huh?" Yuffie was puzzled. "V-Vincent?!"

Vincent gave her a weak smile. "Sorry I made you lose."

"So ... so-so it's y-you? Who kept p-poking ... me?"

Vincent nodded.

Anger rose in Yuffie's face but then softened and she thought, _He ... did he ... touched ... me?_ Yuffie was so shocked that Vincent actually TOUCHED her since Vincent never seems to care about Yuffie at ALL. In fact, he always seems to try his best to stay away from her. Yuffie once thought that he was afraid of her because she was too annoying and loud and ... weird. Yuffie wanted to jump up for joy. But she stayed down on the floor, wondering if Vincent would help her up--

"Yuffie? You okay?" Vincent broke her thoughts. "Here, let me help you up." Vincent held out his brass claws and Yuffie put her hands on it. He closed his claws around Yuffie's soft hand and pulled her up.

Yuffie blinked. _This is like a dream come true! _Yuffie thought. She decided to take her chance. "Hey Vincent? Do you have time? Um ... I need to uh ..."

"Yea, I have time," Vincent replied blankly.

The crowd, by then, had faded and Yuffie and Vincent stepped out of the game room and went down the stairs. "What do you need, Yuffie?"

Yuffie blinked. _Oh gawd, Yuffie. Just TALK to him. Just TELL him. Sheesh! _Yuffie tried to find the right words to say, but her mouth, out of control, blurted out, "Vncent, I wuv ya!" _Oh gawd, Yuffie! What the hell was that?! _she was thinking. _I sound so DUMB!_

Vincent stared down at the 5 feet 2 inches girl.

Yuffie looked up at his dark, red eyes and tried to see what was in them ... was he ... surprised? ... pissed off? ... happy ...?

Suddenly, Vincent started laughing. It wasn't quite a friendly laugh ... not an evil laugh ... what was it? Yuffie was confused. Was he teasing her? ... Finally, Yuffie knew what it was. It was a laugh that says, _you are sooooo kidding me._ Tears sprang into Yuffie's eyes.

Immediately, Vincent stopped laughing. "What's wrong Yuffie?"

Yuffie poked him with her index finger and cried, "You JERK! Go to HELL! Don't you ever, ever LAUGH AT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Yuffie yelled. "Just because you don't _WUV_ ME back, you don't need to LAUGH AT ME you STINKIN' BSTARD! I hate YOU!" Yuffie wiped her tears and jumped down the hole to the Haunted House.

Yuffie popped out of the "grave" and ran into the hotel. She pushed past someone whom she believes is Cid, and ran up the stairs to her room. Yuffie sank onto her bed and cried. She cried herself to sleep.

Just thinking about what happened made tears sprang to Yuffie's eyes once again. Yuffie stood up and said aloud, "If he laughed at me thinking I was joking, well, he's not worth it for me to cry for. I'll find someone else!" and she started towards Wutai, tripping over some rocks on the way.

When she finally arrived at Wutai, she was surprised to see her dad waiting her. _Maybe he just wants to see whether I stole any Materias or not._ Yuffie thought. But to her surprise, her dad hugged her tightly and said, "Welcome home, Yuffie!"

Yuffie, the first time in her whole entire life, suddenly felt like she was wanted at ... home. She hugged him back and smiled, "Thanks Dad!" Then she paused, and said, "But I didn't bring home any Materias."

Godo pulled Yuffie away and both of them started their way to their house. "Well, I could tell."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Yuffie yelled.

"Nothing mean, really. But ... well, let's just say that it's a hard task for you to ... uh ... steal Materias."

Yuffie stared at Godo. "Huh? I don't get what you mean!"

Godo cleared his throat. "I'll explain later. But right now, it's dinner time! Let's eat!"

Yuffie looked up at the sky. Colors of red, orange and purple filled the sky. _I wonder what he's doing right now ..._ Yuffie caught herself thinking about him. _Don't Yuffie! Don't think about him anymore! _Yuffie shook her head. _If you must, think about negative stuff about him!_ So Yuffie started thinking about Vincent sleeping in his old, dirty mansion when Godo interrupted her thoughts.

"Yuffie? What's wrong? Here, eat this, and then go to sleep okay? You look exhausted!"

Yuffie blinked and said, "Uh, yea. Okay."

Yuffie climbed onto her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking how much she missed this room. But then she started missing the Highwind ... even though it made her sick, she missed it. She rolled over and fell asleep, feeling miserable.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hope this chapter's not too short ... well, next chapter will be ALL about Vincent ... and a little bit of Yuffie too ... well, hope you like this chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft. :)

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review!! I don't mean to offend any fans._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 4**

_note: this takes place after Cid dropped off Vincent at Nibelheim._

Vincent climbed down from the rope-ladder from Highwind and into Nibelheim. Tifa, Cloud, Barret and Cid waved to him as he watched the Highwind rose and flew towards Midgar. Vincent smiled weakly as he walked slowly into the town of Nibelheim. People rushed pass him as if they didn't see him. Vincent pushed opened the rusty gate of "his" mansion and walked up the steps in silence. The door swung open and Vincent stepped in. His footsteps echoed the empty hall. He sighed and slumped onto a nearby chair.

Vincent yawned. "Time to sleep."

_"Hey Vincent? Do you have time? Um ... I need to uh ..."_

_"Yea, I have time."_

_"Vincent, I wuv ya!"_

_Why did I laughed? Now I made her cry._

_"What's wrong Yuffie?"_

_"You JERK! Go to HELL! Don't you ever, ever LAUGH AT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN! Just because you don't WUV ME back, you don't need to LAUGH AT ME you STINKIN' BSTARD! I hate YOU!"_

_She left._

Vincent opened his eyes wide, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. "Why is this dream so familiar ...?" He shook his head and got up. He went to a room which seems to be the kitchen and poured some water into a dusty glass. He gulped the cold water down his throat. "I wonder what that dream was all about ... it ... seems like it just happened somewhere ... oh well," he yawned. "Thinking makes me tired ... and tired makes me sleepy ... gotta sleep."

So Vincent went out of the "kitchen" and climbed into his coffin. He pulled the dusty cover over him and fell asleep.

_note: back at Wutai ..._

"YUFFIE!! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO WAKE UP?! GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM THIS INSTANT!!"

Yuffie opened her eyes wide. "Waa--?"

"HURRY UP! GET OUT OF YOUR BED RIGHT NOW! WE GOT GUESTS!" Godo roared from outside.

"ALRIGHT!!" Yufffie growled back.

_Sheesh. Shttup already. Yesterday night he's all nice to me ... now he's being his ol' self again. Ugh. _Yuffie rolled over in her bed and covered her head with her sheet.

Yuffie was falling asleep again but before she knew it, Godo opened the door of her room and pulled the sheet off Yuffie and yelled, "YUFFIE! WAKE UP NOW! YUUUUUUUUUFFIE!"

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!" Yuffie got up, her hair a mess, growled at her dad, "What's wrong with you?!"

"We got guests. Hurry up now! Go brush your teeth ... NOW!"

Godo left and Yuffie walked sleepily to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and almost screamed at the sight of herself: hair tangled and flying everywhere, eyes all puffy from crying, face pale. Yuffie then got to work with her hair as she brushed it as hard as she could even though the knots were getting tighter and tighter as she pull ...

Down at the living room, Godo was talking to his guests.

"Yes yes, she's a really good girl, Mr. Kishi," Godo was saying.

A big man was sitting across from Godo. And next to the man, was his son, Yushi, who appears to be 18.

"Very well, we shall wait for Miz Yuffie, right, Yushi?"

Yushi looked up, feeling uncomfortable. "Er-- right."

Godo laughed heartily. "Very well, Yuffie should be down here in no time."

Yuffie slumped towards the living room lazily. She called out, "Hey Go-" but stopped, when she saw a handsome boy, who seems to be a couple of years older than her, sitting next to a fat man, and across from them, was Godo. She raised her eyebrows suspiciously. _Please don't let it be what I'm thinking ... if it's really what I'm thinking, Godo is the worst dad ever--_

"Yuffie! There you are!" Godo gave her a fake smile and motioned for her to sit next to him. "Yushi here is waiting impatiently for you!"

The boy looked up at Godo and wanted to argue but his dad whispered, "Now, now ... be nice."

Yuffie walked towards her dad and tried to walk as ladylike as possible in front of the boy. _He's so cute ... _she thought. _Much cuter than that ol' VAMPIRE!_

Godo introduced Yuffie to Yushi and his dad, Mr. Kishi.

"Nice to meet you Miz Yuffie," Mr. Kishi said.

"Uhm-- nice to meetya-- I mean-- you too," Yuffie stuttered, trying to talk ladylike too.

Yushi smiled weakly, showing his dimples on his cheeks. Yuffie wanted to scream for joy when she saw the dimples.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Yuffie," he said, blushing.

Yuffie blinked. She felt her cheeks burning. "Um ... yes - uh--"

"Well, then, since you two have become friends, why don't you, Yuffie, show Yushi around the town meanwhile Mr. Kishi and I talk about something - uh - important," Godo gave Yuffie a LOOK that says, _be polite!_

"S-sure thing, Godo- I mean - _yes, Father_," Yuffie rolled her eyes.

Yuffie and Yushi got out of the house. They walked in silence towards the clear blue river.

"Uh, that's a beautiful river," Yushi stammered.

Yuffie looked into his clear, blue eyes. "Just like your eyes ..." Yuffie muttered softly.

"What's that you said?"

Yuffie blinked. "Um, nothing."

Yushi smiled. "You know why I'm here?" Looking at Yuffie's confused expression, he went on, "Your father and mine are discussing about something important. Do you know what it is?"

"Uh ... business?"

Yushi laughed. _It was a friendly laugh ... unlike the vampire's!_ Yuffie thought.

"No, they're not discussing business," Yushi turned to Yuffie and looked into her dark brown eyes. "They're discussing ... our marriage."

Yuffie stared at him. "WHAT?! YOU ARE _SO_ KIDDING ME!!"

He shook his head and smiled. "That's what I was thinking too when my father told me about this. I mean, I don't even know you, never seen you ... I just don't KNOW you. and I have to marry you? That sounds a bit unfair."

"Do ... do you like someone ... else?" Yuffie asked uncertainly.

Yushi grinned. "Not until I saw you."

Yuffie blushed.

Yushi continued on. "Right when I saw you ... I ... well, I like you," he added quickly, "Not because of your appearance of course. But I could tell ... you're kinda like me. We both have to act polite in front of guests and other people but what really made both of us is our ... rudeness." He grinned.

Yuffie grinned back. "How interesting ..."

Yushi walked over to Yuffie and smiled. He slowly reached his right hand and took Yuffie's left hand.

Yuffie's heart was pounding. _Ohmigawd! _she thought. _He really likes me ... _Yuffie breathe in and out and decided to take a shot. She squeezed Yushi's hand. He glanced at Yuffie and smiled. Yuffie smiled back, feeling happy and tingly inside.

_note: back at Nibelheim._

Vincent woke up and pushed the cover of the coffin aside to get out. _Hmm ... _he thought, _I don't feel right ... something's wrong ..._

Outside the sun was shining brightly. Vincent walked out of the Mansion and stretched. He sighed. "Something's wrong but I dunno what. I don't feel good."

He went back inside and sat on a couch. He closed his eyes and all at once found himself seeing an image of Yuffie with another guy around her age. They were talking and laughing ... they were holding hands. The guy then kissed Yuffie on the cheek ...

Vincent opened his eyes. "Yuffie ..."

* * *

_Author's Note: OOoOoh! Well, hope you like this chapter! And in case you're wondering, Yushi and Mr. Kishi are my made-up characters. I'll be working on my chapter 5 soon!!_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft, except Yushi and Mr. Kishi.

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review!! I don't mean to offend any fans._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 5**

Admiring the beautiful clear blue river, Yuffie and Yushi were silently holding hands. Yuffie looked down into the river; the water were rushing pass the smooth rocks; the red, golden fish swam under the red bridge they stood.

Her reflection stared at her; her face was red. _Red? _she blinked. _Red... maroon... _Yuffie suddenly felt nostalgic. She stared back at her reflection. _His eyes are red... they're scary, but sexy. He used to look at me through such sexy eyes..._

She glanced at Yushi next to her. _He has blue eyes. They're beautiful eyes. But... they're not _sexy_. Not as sexy as... Vincent's._ Yuffie wanted to smack herself. _Why am I suddenly thinking about him again? Stupid Yuffie! Stop it already._

"Something wrong?" Yushi asked.

Yuffie blinked. "Uh, oh, no, I'm fine..." She shook her head. _Please, just forget about him..._

After spending a long afternoon admiring the river, with Yuffie feeling somewhat bored of the silence, they finally started towards home with Yushi, who was still holding her hand.

_Although he's sweet and stuff, I feel rather awkward holding hands and walking around like this... _Yuffie thought. She glanced at Yushi's handsome face. _Does he really like me? He seems too good to be true._

Yuffie decided to break the silence and asked casually, "So, Yushi... have you dated before?"

The young man next to her gave her a surprised look. He seems to be thinking of a suitable answer for the girl. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "Yes I have."

_Well, it's no wonder right? Such a cute guy would definitely have girls of all kinds swarm all over him... _Yuffie smirked distastefully. "So what made you guys break up?"

Yushi didn't seem to want to answer her question. He was lucky though, since they finally arrived at the front door of Yuffie's home. The door suddenly swung open, with Mr. Kishi and Godo walking out of it.

"Well, then, hope everything turns out perfectly, eh!" Godo laughed wholeheartedly.

"Yes, yes," Mr. Kishi patted Godo's back. "Everything shall be--oh!" Mr. Kishi looked over at the two youngsters in front of them. "Ho ho ho! Lookit what we have here, Godo!" and pointed at Yushi's and Yuffie's intertwined hands. "An impatient young couple!"

The two men laughed loudly, while Yushi blushed. Yuffie somehow felt sick.

"Father, are you leaving?" Yushi asked.

Mr. Kishi replied, "Oh yes, dear son! Time to go!"

The two families bid farewell. Yushi gave Yuffie a quick kiss on her cheeks, leaving her face burning. They waved goodbye and left. Godo closed the door.

Immediately, Yuffie turned to her father and yelled at the top of her lungs. "WHAT IN THE _WORLD_ WERE YOU _THINKING?!_"

Calmly, Godo ignored his daughter's screaming as he went to sit on the couch.

"WHO _WAS_ THAT GUY ANYWAY?" Yuffie continued.

Her father finally faced her, smirking. "Why, he's your _future husband_, of course!"

Yuffie was disgusted. "But I don't even _know_ him!"

"Sure you do!" Godo said. "Don't you remember? You two have known each other since little kids!"

"W-WHAT?" Yuffie was awestricken. "What are you talking about? I don't know him!"

"I believe you met Yushi when you were four years old," Godo replied simply. He turned on the TV and began watching the news, ignoring his daughter's gaping.

That night, Yuffie climbed onto bed feeling even more miserable. _What in the world just happened today? Why am I suddenly stuck with this super handsome guy with blue eyes? _Yuffie sighed. _And why aren't I feeling happy for having such a cute guy for a husband? Why... do I still think about him when I have such a great guy in front of me? Why?_

All these questions swarmed around Yuffie's head as she tried to fall asleep.

* * *

_Clack clack. Clack clack._

Yuffie shuffled in her bed, covering her head with her blanket.

_Clack clack. Clack clack._

The girl shuffled again.

_Clack clack. Clack clack._

"ROAR!" Yuffie sat up grumpily, her hair a mess. "What the fck is that sound!"

She glanced around her dark room. The only light was from the window next to her bed; the moonlight was shining in. It must be past midnight. Throwing aside her blanket, Yuffie slide towards the window, glancing outside. Her window faces the river of Wutai. Moodily, Yuffie rested her chin on the windowsill, staring into space.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flew past her. She blinked. _What was that? A bat? _She sat up and looked vividly outside. Her eyes moved past the leaves, the branches, the trees, and finally upwards towards the sky. It was full moon. _What a beautiful sight... _Yuffie stared at the white moon. She started staring into space again when she noticed something red on the right side at the corner of her eye. She blinked and squinted her eyes towards the spot. _Red...?_

The red spot grew larger and larger. _Was it flying? Wait, is it flying towards me?!_ Yuffie yelped and fell backwards as she came face to face with the red eyes she longed for. _Vincent!_

_Clack clack. Clack clack._

Vincent's brass claws knocked on the window. Wide-eyed, Yuffie scampered back towards the window. Shakily, she opened the window with her pale hands; her fingers were shaking.

A breeze of chilly air entered the room, fluttering Yuffie's short hair towards her eyes. She closed her eyes as she brushed away her hair with trembling fingers. When she opened them again, Vincent, with his red cloak covering the lower half of his face, stared straight at her with his maroon eyes.

"V-Vincent...?" Yuffie's lips trembled.

Vincent adjusted himself so he could sit on the windowsill. He lowered his cloak and smiled wickedly. "Hello, sleeping beauty."

Yuffie's hands flew towards her mouth, not wanting to cry out loud.

Without a warning, Vincent reached towards Yuffie and pulled her into his arms. Yuffie gasped as she grabbed his neck blindly; Vincent jumped out of the window and into the bright night. The night breeze flew past them as Vincent soared into the sky, towards the moon. Squinting her eyes, Yuffie grabbed onto Vincent's cloak tightly.

"V-Vincent..." Yuffie stuttered. She felt her legs dangling in the air; she was afraid she'll get sick. "V-Vincent... VINCENT!" She opened her eyes and stared at the red eyes, which were looking straight ahead into the night.

"Yesss?" Vincent asked calmly.

Yuffie scowled. "Put me down! Where are you taking me?"

Vincent's eyes bored into hers. "Somewhere beautiful," he replied softly. "Hold me tight."

Heart pounding hard, Yuffie tightened her grip on Vincent's cloak. Eventually, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her head resting on his broad shoulder. She could feel Vincent's warm breath on her neck.

After flying for awhile longer, Vincent finally stopped at the "Da Chao" statue, up in the mountain of Wutai. Yuffie quickly scampered down onto the ground on all fours, regaining her strength. She couldn't stop shaking from the trip she just had. Vincent couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Yuffie glared at him. "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

Calmly, Vincent sat down next to her on the edge of the mountain, dangling his legs in the air. He faced her and said simply, "I wanted to see you."

Surprised, Yuffie's voice softened. "W-what...?"

Red eyes stared down at her, absorbing her every little thought. Yuffie felt weak as she absorbed herself in those red _ sexy_ eyes...

"Are you cold?" Vincent asked suddenly. "You're only wearing a piece of pajama." He motioned towards Yuffie's thin silky night dress.

Yuffie blushed and covered herself with her arms. She looked away, embarrassed. "I-I..."

Vincent threw his cloak over Yuffie's small body, and wrapped his arm around her. "Sit closer to me."

Heart pounding, Yuffie shuffled closer to the man next to her. She was cold. But her face was burning._ Oh my gawd, is this really happening...?_ She glanced upwards at the man. The red eyes glanced back. _Oh my gawd, I am gonna die!_

Clearing her throat, Yuffie managed to speak. "I-I... um... what are you... why are you... _here_?" she squeaked.

The vampire chuckled. "I told you. I want to see you," he said. "But you sure sleep like a rock."

Wide-eyed, Yuffie slapped him playfully on the chest. "No I don't! If it wasn't for _you_, I would have slept even better!" she blurted out. _Sht. Why did I say that?_

Vincent eyed the Wutai princess with raised eyebrows. "Is that so? What did I do?"

Mouth shut, Yuffie glared down towards her hometown. It was a beautiful view. The houses and the river were shining brightly from the moonlight.

"Well?" Vincent urged.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and glared at him. She took a deep breath and growled, "Clearly, you know what you did!"

The vampire gave her a soft smile. "I'm sorry, Yuffie," he said. Yuffie was shocked. "I shouldn't have laughed at you that day at the Gold Saucer. It's my fault... please forgive me."

A cold breeze fluttered Yuffie's burning face. "U-uhm... okay..." Yuffie stuttered. "But..." she looked directly into the red eyes. "Honestly... h-how do you feel about me? Vincent? What do you think of me?"

Taking a deep breath, Vincent said, "You have a special place in my heart."

Yuffie frowned. "T-then--"

Vincent continued. "You are special to me. I didn't realize it until you left," he looked into the wide brown eyes staring at her. "I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier."

Yuffie blinked. _What? Does this mean he considers me as more than just an ally, more than just a friend?_ She opened her mouth but Vincent continued on.

"Tonight, I saw the full moon. Very beautiful, don't you think?" Vincent asked. Yuffie nodded dumbfounded. "Yes, very beautiful... and immediately, I thought of you, _Yuffie_." The girl felt like her heart had jumped out of her chest when Vincent said her name. "I wanted to see you. I wanted to share this beautiful sight with you."

His grip on Yuffie's shoulder tightened. He pulled her towards him; Yuffie's head rested on his shoulder softly.

_Oh my gawd... I'm gonna die... _Yuffie glanced at the man. He smiled at her. Resisting the urge to cry, Yuffie smiled back happily.

Together in the silent night, the odd couple sat admiring the full moon. Surprisingly, Yuffie was delighted to be quiet tonight. They sat like this for a long time. Yuffie felt so comfortable resting her head on Vincent's shoulder that she started falling asleep.

"Vincent..."

"Hm?"

"Am I dreaming...?" Yuffie muttered as she started dozing off.

"Do you think you are?"

"I hope I'm not..."

Vincent's grip on Yuffie's shoulder tightened.

"This is as real as reality could be."

* * *

_Author's Note: I'm back! Here's a long, long chapter. I didn't want to stop hehe. Hope you guys like it!_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft, except Yushi and Mr. Kishi.

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review. I don't mean to offend any fans._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 6**

The night sky was brightened by the full moon. No clouds were visible, with countless stars twinkling gaily in the bright night.

_Full moon..._ Vincent gazed at the glowing orb greedily. The beast inside the maroon-cloaked-vampire gave a snarl of hunger, urging him to kiss those cherry red lips of the young girl sleeping cozily beside him, wrapped warmly in his cloak. He stared down at the girl; she was breathing slowly, eyes closed. The moonlight illuminated her sleeping face; it was like her face was glowing. He reached forwards and touched her soft cheek, edging himself closer to those small tender lips.

* * *

Pale yellow sunshine started filling up Yuffie's room. She covered her head with her blanket, mumbling in her sleep. Quite suddenly, her gray eyes flew open.

"_WHAT WAS THAT?!_" she screamed into the room, sitting up, with hair sticking up in odd places. Memories of the past night came flooding back. Her fingers touched her quivering lips softly. "Did he..."

The door of Yuffie's room banged open. She jumped in her bed, shocked to see Godo in his pajamas at the doorway.

"What was that?!" Godo demanded wildly. "Screaming in such early hours! It's not even 6--"

After 10 minutes of frustration, Yuffie managed to calm down her grumpy father out of her room, with the help of a precious Materia.

"Damn old man... that was my Mastered Ice orb..." Yuffie muttered, as she slammed her door shut.

She slumped onto her warm bed and gazed out the window absentmindedly. The sun was rising now, with birds chirping nearby. The sparkling waters of the Wutai River could be seen reflected on the trees. Yuffie sighed and rested her chin on the windowsill. She gazed into the distance, unfocused. Thoughts of yesterday night warmed her up--sweet memories warmer than the sun outside.

_"Am I dreaming...?"_

_"This is as real as reality could be."_

A wide smile spread on the princess' dreamy face. "Hehe... 'as real as reality could be'..." Her fingers instinctively reached for her lips. "So he really _did_ kissed me..."

Yuffie closed her eyes, wishing that the feeling--the touch--of yesterday night's kiss would flow back to her lips. "Was it _really_ real? Oh man... why did I fall asleep? How does it feel, with his lips on mine? Were they soft...?"

Without knowing it, her lips scrunched into a "kissing" pose, like she's kissing an imaginary person. _Muah Vincent!_

"Heheh... What are you doing? Waiting for a bird to kiss you?"

The gray eyes flew open and stared into maroon ones. She gasped and almost screamed, but remembered that Godo was sleeping in the room next to hers, she slapped her mouth with her own hands. She does not want to lose another Materia this time.

"_Sh*t!_" Yuffie hissed, looking wildly out of the window, face as hot as fire. "_What--are--what--in the world--?!_"

She made to close the window on him but stopped, feeling confused and embarrassed. The vampire pulled the window panes gently and clambered onto the windowsill. The early morning breeze blew his long hair gently, as his maroon eyes gazed calmly into the gray ones and smirked.

The girl puffed an air of frustration. "What are you doing _here?_" she demanded, pulling her blanket towards her, covering her thin night gown.

Vincent's face was expressionless, except for that smirk of his. It was like the lips did not belong to him and have been edited onto his face.

"_What are you doing here?_" the princess asked again, temperature rising on her face.

The vampire kept quiet, but the smirk remained.

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?_" Yuffie growled. Suddenly aware that she's alone with a grown man in her room, she threw her pillow at him. "And stop it with that smirk!"

Vincent dodged the pillow carelessly, and it flew out of the window. Yuffie gaped, eyes bulging. She pushed Vincent aside, and he fell onto her bed, as Yuffie leaned out of the window to stare at her pillow on the dirty ground a story below. She turned wildly, ready to wrestle the man out of her room, but before she knew it, Vincent pulled her onto the bed, towering over her.

The little girl gulped, unable to move her eyes away from the maroon ones. The lips of the smirk moved.

"I'm taking you away from here."

* * *

The sun shone warmly high above the torn up town of Midgar.

"You're kidding." The words flew out of Cloud's mouth before he knew it. Sitting next to him, Tifa gave the chocobo-head a big nudge in the ribs.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Never heard _you_ giving out opinions!"

The vampire next to her grunted and drank his glass of ice water in one gulp.

They were in 7th Heaven. Tifa and Cloud were behind the bar counter, looking anxious, while Vincent and Yuffie, still wearing her silky night gown, sat opposite of them. Two oily plates of bacon and egg crumbs sat in front of the latter two. The two newcomers have just finished with their "story"--or rather, the girl was the one who had done all the talking.

It was nearly noon. Voices and laughter could be heard from outside the bar. Yet, it was dead silent inside. The two listeners behind the counter were lost for words, sharing awkward glances at each other.

"So where's Barret?" the princess broke up the silence.

Glad for a change of topic, Tifa quickly replied, "He's out shopping with Marlene. Should be back soon."

The young girl opposite of her snorted. "What a daddy he's become..."

Cloud and Tifa shared another look. Silence filled the air again. Finally, the bartender said, "Well, Yuffie, come up and I'll get you a change of clothes," and ushered the girl up the stairs into her room.

The two men sat silently, staring at the bacon bits on the two plates between them. The man with the blonde hair spoke up, to the surprise of the vampire.

"I had _no_ idea you enjoyed that girl's company. Let alone like her."

Shrugging, the cloaked man continued to stare at the plate. It was a moment before he spoke. His voice was deep and serious. "Love... is a funny thing."

The chocobo-head almost fell off his chair upon hearing these words coming from the morose vampire, the one with the dark shadows under his maroon eyes, the one whom rarely ever talks about his feelings, the one with such a dark past, the one named Vincent Valentine.

* * *

Up in Tifa's room, the martial artist busied herself, rummaging in her drawers for clothes that would fit the ninja's petite figure. But her curiosity would not hold on any longer...

"Yuffie," Tifa turned towards the young girl on the other side of the room. "What... what are you planning to do now?"

The Wutai princess had no idea. She looked around the room uncomfortably, shuffling her feet, unsure how to answer the question. The truth was, what had happened merely a couple of hours ago had been a blur for her...

_"I'm taking you away from here."_

_"What?!"_

_Next thing the ninja knew, the vampire had swept the girl into his arms, and jumped out of the window. The girl clutched tightly onto the vampire's cloak, screaming her lungs out. And away they flew, towards the shining sea..._

"Yuffie?"

The ninja blinked and saw concern growing on Tifa's face.

"Are you all right?"

Yuffie nodded weakly. "I... Teef, I have no idea what I'm going to do. It was all so sudden..." She looked into the brown eyes of her friend, who was like a sister to her. "Was it ... really such a surprise? Such a surprise that Vincent ... likes me?" Doubt and uncertainty could be heard in her voice.

The older girl smiled kindly. "Well, it _was_ a surprise for Cloud. I mean, he's not the brightest when it comes to love," (Yuffie giggled), "But it wasn't such a surprise for me."

"Really?" surprise in Yuffie's voice.

Tifa nodded thoughtfully, holding several t-shirts in her hands. "I've known it all along," Seeing Yuffie's confused expression, Tifa added, "that Vincent feels something towards you." After a pause, she continued, "It's true that Vincent rarely talks, especially about his feelings. But on the rare occasions when I _have_ talked to him, I knew that there was something going on. And I guess you haven't noticed; he watches over you--all the time."

Astonishment filled Yuffie's face. _Did he, really?_

"That's why he's always in the same trio as you, Yuffie!" Tifa smiled. "To watch over you." She grabbed a pair of shorts out of the closet next to her. "And it so happens that I notice him watching you when you're throwing up all over the _Highwind_."

Disbelief and shock pierced Yuffie's heart. _ This is too good to be true._ "Maybe he just doesn't want me to get the others killed. And he was probably just disgusted with all the barf."

"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed. "He said he loves you, didn't he?"

"I-I... well..." _Not exactly,_ thought Yuffie. _He just wanted to "see" me._

"Here," Tifa handed the other girl a pair of blue shorts and a white t-shirt. "These should fit you."

Yuffie reached out for the clothes slowly. Something was still bothering her. She glanced at the feminine body of the friend she admired so very much. "Tifa..." Yuffie pulled her night gown over head, revealing her still developing figure, with a hint of baby fat in the tummy area. "Would he ... would Vincent really like _a girl like me_?"

Tifa blinked in surprise.

"I don't have a womanly body like other women... I still look like a kid," the young princess blinked back tears.

The older of the girls stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around the younger girl. "I'm very, _very_ certain that Vincent would love you no matter what type of body you have." She felt the skinny arms on her back, wrapped tightly. "And," Tifa whispered, "haven't big boobs isn't as cool as you think it is!"

Yuffie couldn't help but let out a giggle.

* * *

The two girls finally emerged back downstairs to join the other two men. However, they found them joined by another man, a huge mass of brown muscles.

"Barret--!"

"You--!"

Yuffie and Barret both exclaimed simultaneously, with Barret pointing at Yuffie and Vincent back and forth, in astonishment.

"Y-you--and you--you--" Barret was still pointing at the two back and forth, not able to believe in what he had just heard from the two men beside him. A little girl smiled shyly behind him, unaware of what's happening around her.

"Marlene!" Yuffie cried happily, pulling the little girl towards her into a tight hug.

"You--you--" Barret was still uttering and pointing, no other words came out of his mouth.

"Yes, Barret," Yuffie hissed, annoyed, "Vincent and I are--"

A loud screech came from Vincent's chair, as he pushed back his stool, which rubbed the floor, and stood up. Every single one turned towards the vampire's cloaked back.

"Yuffie," the vampire turned around. His face was expressionless. "Come."

The cloaked man led the clueless ninja out of the bar. Meanwhile, their teammates scurried over to the bar entrance and peeked out, with Barret covering little Marlene's ears.

Vincent had his back on Yuffie. The princess was sure that the man would say _"let's break up." No wait, we aren't even officially an "item" yet--_

"You need to go back," Vincent turned to face the girl. "Back to Wutai."

A soft gasp could be heard from near the bar entrance. The two outside ignored it.

"What?" Yuffie demanded. "What do you mean?" Just then, something dawned on Yuffie. Her voice was harsh. "Is this it? That you're going to tell me that you acted stupidly and spontaneously... that you never meant it when you said you wanted to take me away. _Is that it?_"

Shock seemed to fill Vincent's face. First the first time, there was something like fear in those maroon eyes. "No, Yuffie, no--" He made to walk towards Yuffie, but the girl slapped his hands away.

"_Don't touch me!_" Yuffie spat.

She was about to turn away, when Vincent draped his arms over Yuffie's body.

"No--!" Yuffie struggled and was about to bite on those arms she despised so much when--

"I love you."

The sweet words slipped out of the vampire's mouth and into the princess' ears like air. Yuffie blinked and stopped struggling.

"You are the princess of Wutai. You must return," Vincent said quietly, "But... I will be by your side. I will return with you."

Overwhelmed with joy, _real_ joy that she have not felt for a long, long time, filled every single vein in the princess' body. Tears of joy swam in her eyes. She turned around to face the man she love so dearly and wrapped her thin arms around his neck, giving him a great big kiss on the lips. She laughed and cried at the same time, too absorbed in her own happiness to notice the faint pink growing on the vampire's dull cheeks.

Back at the bar entrance, Tifa, Cloud, Barret, and Marlene smiled at each other. There were tears in Tifa's eyes, and Cloud put his arm around her shoulders. Barret shook his head dazedly, still in disbelief.

"I can't believe this," the gunman muttered. "Wait 'til Cid hears about this..."

Cloud shrugged. "Love... is a funny thing."

Staring in astonishment, his two teammates swung their heads so fast facing the ex-soldier that they were sure they've cracked their necks.

* * *

_Author's Note: This is a super long chapter, ending the story. I should move the Yuffie x Vincent chapters into a completely different story. I enjoy writing about them too much. :) Anyway, I don't think I'll be doing any Cid x Shera chapters. I'll see how things go :) -August 22, 2009._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any thing. All the characters and etc. are by Squaresoft, except Yushi and Mr. Kishi.

_Author's Note: It's my first FanFic so please review._

* * *

**Unforgettable Memories  
Chapter 7**

_Bzzzz. Bzzzz._ _Bzzzz. Bzzzz._ The theme song of FFVII started playing as the buzzing continued. Sleeping on the floor, the great fire animal opened his eyes in slits towards the desk, where his cellphone was vibrating and ringing. Yes, even Nanaki has a cellphone. The feline-like animal rested his muzzle back down onto the floor. He was too tired to listen. Moreover, it was rather difficult for him to talk on it. The ringtone continued to play. Finally, it stopped. Just as Nanaki's eyes were about to close, the buzzing and ringing started playing again. The fire animal growled, finally getting up, his fire tail waving behind him.

Just then, the door of the weapon shop opened. One of the villagers stepped inside; it was the shopkeeper's daughter.

"Oh! Did I wake you up, Nanaki?" the little girl asked shyly.

Nanaki shook his head and swayed his tail left and right. The phone was still ringing. He eyed it, irritated.

The girl saw the phone and smiled. "Would you like me to help you answer it?"

"Thank you," Nanaki said kindly, as the girl pressed the phone's answer button and turned on the speakers for him, laying the phone on the ground in front of him. Then she closed the door quietly behind her.

"Hello?" A woman's voice filled the room. "Nanaki?"

"Hi Tifa," the red creature slumped down onto the floor, muzzle facing the phone.

There was a bit of a commotion at Tifa's side; giggles, voices. "Shh!" Tifa said, covering the speakers. "Hello Nanaki!" the martial artist said kindly. "How have you been?"

Nanaki smiled softly. He had always like Tifa; she was very kind; very kind to everyone. She was always there to talk to. So, when he heard about Cloud and her, he was very happy for the pair, finally being together. "I'm good, just resting."

The two of them chatted for awhile about nothing and everything. Then Tifa said excitedly, "So, have you heard? About Yuffie and--"

"_HEY!!!!!!!!!!!_" a voice shrieked at the other side of the phone.

The fire animal tilted his head, listening to the voice coming out of the phone. It was the voice of his ninja friend.

Tifa sniggered and said a "shut up" quietly, and continued to Nanaki, "--Yuffie and Vincent. They're dating!"

"_TIFAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! Don't go telling everyone about my business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_" Yuffie could be heard screaming.

"_Wait 'til _Cid_ hears 'bout this sh*t!_" It was Barret's voice.

There was laughter on the other end. Meanwhile, there was nothing but the silent echoes of the laughter on Nanaki's side. The animal smiled sadly. He was lonely. Lonelier than ever. Not because his teammates were gathered together on the other end; it was something else.

"Anyway, Nanaki, we're planning to have a gathering next week. Come okay? At 7th Heaven," Tifa said loudly over the screams still coming from Yuffie. "We'll ask Cid to come and pick you up, how's that?"

The fire creature agreed. They said goodbyes and hang up. Lying on the floor, Nanaki continued staring at the cellphone in front of him. The wallpaper of the cellphone was a photo of Tifa, Yuffie, and him, with the girls wrapping their arms around his shaggy neck. He glanced at the girl on the left, the cocky face with the wide devilish grin and let out a sad sigh, as he recalled the events at Gold Saucer.

_Nanaki was annoyed. The ninja had been teasing and picking him for the entire day. She had just shoved a cake full of cream up his muzzle; he was still trying to puff out the last bit of cream out of his nose. They were at Gold Saucer's Wonder Square, resting after a long day of playing, celebrating the team's victory. _

_"Say, Red, have you ever fallen in love?"_

_Yuffie was sitting on the bench, staring at the dancing lights on the WONDER billboard. Nanaki glanced up at her worriedly, wondering what's bothering the girl. The truth was, out of all the team members, the ninja was the one he cared about the most. Much to his dislike, he had to admit this fact to himself._

_She may be a human... but, it doesn't mean that I can't care for her... even if she still calls me "Red", the despicable name..._

_"Red! You haven't answered me yet," Yuffie patted the animal's head roughly._

_Nanaki growled angrily. "Stop that!" he snarled, showing his pointed fangs._

_Yuffie grinned. "Aww don't be mad, you know I'm just playin'!" Nonetheless, she took her hands off of the red head and wrapped her arms around his neck instead, burying her head into the red fur. "You're so fluffy!" She started squeezing him._

_The animal was about to choke to death. "Yuffie... don't... kill me yet," he wheezed. _

_He felt the hands slacken; leaning on Nanaki's neck, Yuffie muttered softly into his fur, "Red... when would I see you again? ...Would I be seeing _him_ ever again?"_

_Something tightened in Nanaki's chest. What's this I'm feeling? Shaking the thing that's bothering him, he stared into the ninja's round sparkling eyes and said, "Go tell him, Yuffie."_

_The brown eyes widened. Jumping up, the ninja exclaimed wildly, "Are you crazy or what?!" and whacked him fiercely on the head with her hand._

_Nanaki jumped up on his four feet too, angry. He snarled, "Stop hurting others while you're in distress!" The fire creature looked as if he was about to spit fire at the girl, and he leaped towards the exit hole and disappeared into it._

_Early the next morning, Yuffie rapped on Nanaki's door rapidly, wishing to have a talk with him. The door opened an inch, just revealing Nanaki's nose._

_"What?" he growled._

_"Aww, Red, lemme in," The ninja pushed the door apart and squeezed inside. She settled herself onto the still warm bed. "Red," she gazed into the yellow eyes of the friend she trust dearly. "I told him. Yesterday night." She confided in him what had happened._

_Nanaki's eyes widened, as he laid on his bed, gazing at the teary eyes._

_"It's over. It's officially OVER!" Yuffie cried. "I think he's still in love with that chick in the cave. What do you think?"_

_Shuffling on the bed, Nanaki shrugged anxiously. He wasn't sure what to say, since he's probably in the same boat as Yuffie; the person he loves is not in love with him._

Back in the weapon shop, sleep was dawning on Nanaki. He reached out a paw and pressed the buttons of his cellphone clumsily. A photo of the entire team now replaced the previous photo as the wallpaper. He smiled sadly and closed his eyes, drifting into sleep.

* * *

Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring--_clack_.

"WHO THE F*CK IS THIS, I'M BUSY FIXIN' MY BRONCO HERE!" Cid growled into the phone, as his cigarette fell onto the dirty soil. "OH F*CK, THERE GOES MY CIGAR!"

"Hey man Cid, it's Barret!"

The two men exchanged rough greetings, including uncensored words.

"So what's the news?" Cid said, lighting another cigarette.

"Yeh, well, have ya heard--"

There was a scream of annoyance from the other end.

Cid raised his eyebrows, as he puffed out a cloud of gray smoke. "Who's that? That little brat?"

"Move it, kiddo!" Barret sneered. "Yeh! It's Yuffie. _They're f*ckin' datin'!_"

The captain almost choked. "Sh*t! Who f*cked up so much to want such a lousy girl like her!?"

"HEHEHEHEH it's VINCENT, MAN!" Barret sniggered.

"_BARRET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_" Yuffie snatched the phone. "DUDE, OLD MAN just ignore _EVERYTHING_ he said!"

Laughing teasingly, Cid said, "Man, what _happened_ to Vince? Losing control over Chaos?"

"_SHUT UP OLD MAN--_"

"Hello, Cid!" A tender voice spoke. Tifa grabbed the phone out of Yuffie's hands. "We're having a gathering next week at 7th Heaven! Do come! Ask Shera too! And pick up Nanaki on the way--" Tifa was interrupted by screams and cries of annoyance from the ninja. "Gotta go, gonna call Cait Sith--Yuffie's getting out of control here--GOSH Yuffie, stop with the screaming! My ears hurt--"

Barret took the phone. "Hey yeh Cid come with Shera and Nanaki--yeh--hey--_PUT DOWN MARLENE NOW!_"

_Clack._

Cid had hang up before saying bye. He rolled his eyes and put down his phone. He reached a finger into his ear and muttered, "F*ck it, my eardrums."

He glanced down at the group photo in his cellphone and smiled._ A reunion so soon? It haven't even been a week yet..._

* * *

_Author's Note: Okay. Final chapter. Story complete :) - August 24, 2009_


End file.
